Special Center of Excellence will be established in Lucknow for the development of beekeeping
Lucknow: The state government is promoting horticulture farming to double the income of the farmers. It is also encouraging the farmers to take up horticulture by giving them subsidies. To ensure that the farmers get the benefits of horticulture farming schemes on time, they are being benefited with full transparency at every level. The state cannot develop without improving the financial condition of the farmers in an agrarian state. In this context, the state government is determined to protect the interests of the farmers. State’s Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Horticulture and Agriculture Exports, Dinesh Pratap Singh said this while directing the officers during the departmental review meeting through video conferencing at Udyan Bhawan. He directed that by running a campaign in all the Nyaya Panchayats of the state, pamphlets should be distributed to the farmers about the facilities available in the departmental schemes through Choupal programs.
Each DHO should invite more and more farmers to their Nyaya Panchayat and inform them about the schemes. He reviewed the action plan for making a model village in every block and said that one model village in each development block of the state is being developed with the aim of taking the programs of horticulture development to all the gram panchayats of the state.
Each model village must be inspected by Deputy Director and DHO level officers. Also, a flax board should be installed outside the model village for information. It should be shown in the board that the concerned village has been identified as a model village. The details of the schemes and the farmers identified by the schemes should also be mentioned in the board.
Singh directed that in order to increase the potato, seed, production program on the vacant fertile land of the department, a register should be maintained for the assets with full details of the departmental farms and production units. He said that such land and buildings of the Horticulture Department, which are not mentioned in the records of revenue, should be made to be marked.
The Horticulture Minister directed that the Seed Processing Center Basti and Aliganj, Lucknow should be utilized with full capacity. He emphasized on increasing the quality production by expanding the area of crops like dragon fruit, strawberry etc. under innovative programs. Farmers should be encouraged to set up cold rooms near the mandi. He directed all the deputy directors to hold a divisional meeting in the first week of the month. He directed that under ‘Per Drop-More-Crop’, the districts with less progress should be reviewed by giving weekly targets. The seeds of Rabi crops should be distributed by October 20. Show cause notices should be given to the Horticulture Officers of the districts who do not make satisfactory progress.
Agriculture Production Commissioner Manoj Kumar Singh directed that all the aspects of horticulture development should be integrated and developed in cluster form while implementing departmental schemes more effectively. All the Deputy Directors and Horticulture Officers should provide the report of the quantity of horticultural crops being grown in their district.
In the review meeting, it was decided to establish a special center of excellence in Lucknow, Barabanki, Kanpur, Hapur and Pali House for the development of beekeeping. With the vote of thanks by Dr. RK Tomar, Director, Horticulture and Food Processing Department, all concerned were assured for effective and time bound action on the specified points. The review meeting was attended by Ajay Kumar Dwivedi, Special Secretary, senior officers of Horticulture and Food Processing, Divisional Deputy Director Horticulture and District Horticulture Officers.
